


Reality

by blancwene



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: New Republic Era - All Media Types
Genre: Ficlet, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-11-12
Updated: 2010-11-12
Packaged: 2017-11-29 23:37:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/692837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blancwene/pseuds/blancwene
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Three Mara ficlets, before, during, and after the Thrawn trilogy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Dance

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [She Dances](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/17612) by deaka. 



 

 

Mara’s first day of rehearsals is excruciatingly painful. “You’ll adjust,” the other girls reassure her.

But she never does. She faces the wrong direction, turns too early, counting each sore muscle and bruised limb as progress. She loves the sense of oneness between her body and her surroundings, but dance just doesn’t come easily to her. Like her other training, she has to focus on every single step--and even when she’s mastered them, the running litany in her head keeps her from completely flowing into the rhythm of the dance.

Years later, her finesse seems second nature. But when someone dismisses her elegance as just old “dancer’s grace,” her temper flares--the memory of those carefully acquired callouses still fresh in her mind.

 

 


	2. Future Tense

 

 

“I’m going to kill you,” she reminds him.

He shakes his head, leaning back against the tree trunk.

She raises an eyebrow. “What?”

“Future.”

She blinks, and starts to rearrange her pack.

He continues. “You’re talking in the future.”

“Future tense,” she corrects.

He shrugs. “Right. I just think that a lot of stuff could change between now and then.”

She turns away, and looks out into the darkening forest.

“My old Jedi master told me that the future’s always in motion. Who knows, you could need my help again.”

She doesn’t respond.

He shuts his eyes, and immediately his face relaxes in sleep.

She takes another stimpill, and glances back at him. “You’re wrong. If we get out of here, I’m still going to kill you.”

In the fading light, he smiles.

 

 


	3. Reality

 

 

After the Wayland affair, Mara feels slightly optimistic about their...whatever it is. Luke gives her that lightsaber, she splits her time between Karrde’s organization and the Smugglers’ Alliance, and they always stop to chat whenever she’s on Coruscant for business.

But things change. He finds other Force-sensitives, and stops pestering her to train with him. Back during the Thrawn crisis, she was special: the only one (besides his sister) with the same gifts and potential. Not anymore. Luke doesn’t lose interest so much as find new ones that slowly edge her out.

She holds strong to her sense of superiority--after all, she was the Emperor’s Hand--until even that is stripped from her. She goes from believing herself the only Hand to realizing that she was merely one of many, an insignificant pawn like the rest.

Sometimes, he remembers her. She thinks it’d be better if he just forgot her entirely.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For Gabri. ♥


End file.
